


Shattered Masks

by Eline (Sans_Souci)



Category: Code Geass
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe, Character Death, F/M, Half-Sibling Incest, M/M, Major Character Injury, Plot Devices, Rape/Non-con Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-09-18
Updated: 2012-10-21
Packaged: 2017-11-12 22:24:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/496296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sans_Souci/pseuds/Eline
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>R2 alternate ending. Schneizel and Lelouch play out their endgame strategies. Chess references. Schneizel captures Knight and King first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shattered Masks

**Author's Note:**

> Request (at one of) the kink meme(s) for Schneizel non-conning Suzaku and Lelouch. And forcing them to play with each other.
> 
> R2 SPOILERS HERE! Spoilers for R2 until Episode 23!
> 
> While I still have the energy to be cheesed off by Schneizel and his utter bastardry (because his motives are blah-what-motives-I’m-just-doing-it-cos-I-can-blah), let’s have the AU BAD END. Or the not-so-good end.
> 
> In BL-gamer-speak, that means the non-con, everything goes down the crapper ending. So here be non-con, horrible downer ending. There’s plot in here. If you don’t want plot with your porn, please skip the first part. And the last part.  
> Edit: In the course of writing this, the ending extended into something else altogether.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The klaxons blared discordantly even as the flagship shuddered in its death throes around them.

“The hull’s been breached in multiple places! All systems are failing! We have to evacuate now, Your Majesty!” Cecile shouted over the wail of the alarms.

Most of his forces had been taken out by the Black Knights and the lost of his flagship was just the last straw. Lelouch tasted the bitter irony of a possible defeat as he looked over the tactical screens for the last time. He had sent C.C. out in the Lancelot Requiem when the shields had failed along with the hostages in an escape craft. The tide of the battle had turned then and it was only the thought of the pact that they had yet to fulfill that had prevented Lelouch from going down with his ship.

Suzaku and C.C. would probably have something to say about over-the-top theatrics. Lelouch took scant comfort in the fact that they had to alive before they could verbally chew him out or use sarcasm on him.

“Lelouch- _sama_! We should get to the escape craft!” Sayoko was usually so proper, but she broke with protocol to push him towards the emergency escape route that would lead to his personal craft. Cecile would be taking another craft with the skeleton technical crew that had remained.

The _Avalon_ shuddered again, but this time as though something large had bumped into it.

 _Another hit?_ Lelouch’s thoughts turned darker as another similar shudder rocked the ship. _Knightmare frames? A boarding party?_

“Hurry, Lelouch- _sama_!” Sayoko cried, obviously sharing his suspicions. She was outrunning him to no-one’s surprise but Lelouch supposed that she should go ahead to ready the escape craft.

The passageway narrowed--and exploded in a hail of shrapnel and fire. 

The world went white then red.

Then all he could see and smell was smoke and ashes. There was a dull ringing in his ears and nothing much else. He thought he called out Sayoko’s name as he stumbled forwards but he could not be sure.

Lelouch vi Britannia, 99th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, succumbed to the smoke.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

For a long while, he was in a soundless, lightless black void.

His hearing came back to him first.

Brief fragments of sound. Then voices. There was a bright light above him. People . . . he could hear their voices.

Then the blackness came again and he knew nothing.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Awareness returned slowly. He felt as though he was waking up from drug-induced bad dream. His throat felt sore.

He was alive. Someone had kept him alive. 

Frantically marshalling his thoughts, Lelouch fought to clear his head in order to analyse the situation.

There was a dull pain at the back of his head that seemed to go all the way down to his neck. His limbs . . . seemed functional if immobilised. There seemed to be people moving around where he currently lay on a semi-padded surface. 

It was too good to hope that he was with allies. After all, he had made it a point to alienate practically everyone.

Someone moved closer, practically brushing the side of whatever he was lying on. “His Highness would like the results in by tomorrow.”

“We’re not miracle workers!” someone else protested. “His Highness knows that we’ve only had thirty-six hours at most. And the results cannot be determined until the subject is--”

The first speaker cut in rather rudely. “Can’t you do something about that?”

“His Highness” was Schneizel--Lelouch had no doubts about that. He also knew that he had to take any chance that he could to win free before it was too late. The two people arguing over his head should be within range . . .

He opened his eyes and activated his _Geass_ \--

Or at least he tried to. A stabbing pain flared up behind his eyes and he was forced to stop as his head throbbed in agony.

“It works then,” the second voice above him said after a pause.

“I will inform His Highness at once.” The rude one moved away at speed as Lelouch cursed the sudden inability of his _Geass_ to function. Of all the times it could have chosen to act up . . .

While Lelouch waited for the pain to stop, the people around him bustled about, obviously excited about something. The skin of his neck felt inflamed. There was something . . . under his skin back there. He felt a chill that had nothing to do with the fact that he was clad only in what felt like a paper hospital smock. _What in the world had they done?_

There was precious little time to work out what had happened to him. A group of helmeted guardsmen arrived in the next moment to release him and then stuff him unceremoniously into a restraining suit. 

The tightly confining sensation of being unable to move brought up unpleasant memories. His limbs felt like rubber and he doubted that he was physically able to fight back as he was physically dragged out of the too-bright room that had hummed with the noise of some sort of machinery into a dim corridor. The guards rushed him along without a word--no doubt a good tactic to keep prisoners confused and nervy before interrogations.

Hell, it was working.

Their final destination was a small room furnished with only one table that had been bolted to the floor and three chairs that had been arranged on different sides of it. 

The guards pushed him down on one chair and stepped aside as a tall figure in white entered the room.

“Schneizel,” he whispered, his voice roughened by the inhalation of too much smoke during the downing of the _Avalon_.

“I’m not _Older Brother_ anymore?” With a semi-amused smile, Schneizel slid into the chair opposite Lelouch and waved the guards out of the room. He did not appear to be wearing any eye-protection of any sort . . .

Biting back a barrage of curses, Lelouch squeezed his eyes shut against the onslaught of pain as he tried to activate his _Geass_ and failed again. When he could hold his head upright again, he looked up to see Schneizel observing him with that insufferably calm expression that had always infuriated him whenever they had played chess.

“Schneizel,” Lelouch rasped. “What . . . is this _thing_?”

“A crude device at best. It was cobbled up on short notice for your special condition,” Schneizel said. “Your _Geass_ requires the optical nerves that connect the eyes to the brain in order to function. The implant merely triggers an extremely painful sensation in your cortex every time your _Geass_ activates. 

“I would caution you not to try it too often,” Schneizel added, calm in the face of Lelouch’s outrage. “My specialists have no idea how much your cortex can take before you cause yourself permanent harm.”

Cold to the pit of his stomach, Lelouch forced himself to remain calm in the face of the loss of his triumph card. Schneizel had found a way to neutralise his _Geass_ \--or at least render him incapable of using it.

How long had it been since his capture? That man back there had mentioned thirty-six hours at the very least. The cold feeling solidified into dread. What had happened during those hours when he had been out while Schneizel’s cronies had been playing around with his brain?

C.C.--with their contract unfulfilled--and the hostages? Sayoko and the technical crew with Cecile? If Sayoko and the others were still alive--

“Lelouch, even now you’re counting the survivors, trying to salvage something from this mess,” Schneizel said gently. “You just don’t know when to give up.”

“This isn’t a chess match!” Lelouch shouted, shocking even himself with his outburst. “And I’m not seven-years old anymore!”

“No, it’s not, the stakes are much higher now,” Schneizel agreed. “At least to you.”

 _At least to me?_ “What do you mean?” Lelouch demanded.

“All those lives you’ve put in the way of harm--you actually care about them despite your supposed callousness, don’t you?” Schneizel had the bloody gall to look amused. “You would have been a lot more convincing if you had started to shoot the hostages and throw them off the bridge when the Black Knights attacked.”

It was fortunate, Lelouch supposed, that he could not move in the restraints. Now he just had to prevent himself from responding to Schneizel’s mind games. _Don’t give him the satisfaction. Just don’t . . ._

But Schneizel was not even going to allow him that.

“You should see what the search and rescue teams found on the ground,” Schneizel continued and Lelouch knew he was not going to like this. Not one bit.

“Stop glowering at me like that--it doesn’t suit you.” Schneizel turned to his personal communicator. “Have our special guest brought in.”

“You should be glad. Your knight has a strong will to live,” Schneizel said, watching Lelouch’s expression as he spoke. “It took a while to even put a scratch on his Knightmare Frame. I think the energy filler exhausted itself before he went down. The escape mechanism had been damaged and it’s amazing that he survived it all with only a broken arm.”

Lelouch could not keep the stricken look from his face any more. He had deliberately not thought of Suzaku because-- 

_We have yet to fulfill our pact._

Of all the names and faces that Lelouch had counted, he had not counted Suzaku.

_It was not supposed to end like this._

Suzaku’s survival was no miracle. His fault. The _Geass_ he gave to Suzaku. In the end, Suzaku could not even have a warrior’s death on the battlefield.

The door practically opened on cue and a pair of guards marched in with one restrained prisoner supported between them. Lelouch could see Schneizel’s hand behind it all--stage-managing everything just for this moment when the guards deposited Suzaku on the last chair.

In spite of himself, in spite of everything and Schneizel sitting there watching his reaction, a part of Lelouch was just relieved. At least he knew the fate of one of his own. Suzaku had a broken arm, but it did not look as they had bothered with a cast before strapping him into the restraining suit. 

“King and Knight--I believe I win,” Schneizel said.

Lelouch dared not hope least it showed up on his face or anything else that Schneizel could read. C.C. was still out there. They had not fallen together--

“--And as for the missing piece, I will find her . . . You can be assured of that.”

Schneizel was bluffing. Lelouch did not look at Suzaku, knowing that his knight could at least present a stoic exterior under pressure. Schneizel had to be bluffing. If he had C.C. or even the slightest clue about her whereabouts, he would have flaunted it before them.

Shaking his head, Schneizel stood up and pointed a small remote unit at the wall, which revealed itself as a schematic screen of the battlefield. “The Britannian Forces have been routed. Only you two don’t know that the battle is over.”

The pinpoints of light that represented the remains of the Britannian Army were few and scattered. Lelouch knew that if he continued to look at them as just ciphers in a game, he could stave off the horrify implications for just one more day. Even if it did mean becoming more like Schneizel.

"I thought that you two might like to see each other, what with you being old friends and allies." Schneizel's gloved hand was resting on Suzaku's shoulder and Lelouch had to stop himself from looking at it. 

Schneizel never did anything without a reason. _He's playing games with you. He's doing what he always does. Playing mind games._

A game at which Schneizel was a master of. In spite of his control, Lelouch felt his heart rate speed up.

"And you have nothing to say?" Schneizel asked. "Even now?" 

Taking hold of the collar of Suzaku's restraining jacket, Schneizel pushed Suzaku face-down on the table in front of Lelouch.

 _What is he doing? What is he up to?_ Lelouch caught Suzaku's eye, staring up at him in the fitful light from the screen.

_Don't react. Whatever happens, don't react._

"Perhaps Kururugi here would be more amicable to discussing your foolhardy plans for world conquest?" Schneizel slipped a hand under Suzaku's bent waist and Lelouch could not deny understanding of his intentions anymore.

"Schneizel . . ." Lelouch tensed against his own bonds. "You can't do this . . ."

"Officially, you don't exist. The 99th Emperor of Britannia went down with the _Avalon_ and his Knight of Zero perished on the field. The bodies were not found and probably never will be." Suzaku tried to move, but Schneizel clamped a hand around what was probably his broken arm and the knight subsided.

“Schneizel, it’s got nothing to do with him. If you want to settle accounts with me, you already have me,” Lelouch tried to keep his voice level, tried to sound _reasonable_ even as Schneizel undid the fastenings that held the pants of the restraining suit in place.

_I know what he's doing. And I know what he wants._

But knowing was not the same as seeing Schneizel pull down the back of Suzaku's pants. Knowing that Schneizel had set this all up was not the same as watching him get ready to--ready to--

"You don't have to do this--Schneizel--Older Brother--" Lelouch was aware of his voice becoming more frantic. Schneizel would do it--there were no limits to what Schneizel would or could do to get what he wanted. "Older Brother!"

Suzaku was silent when Schneizel pushed forwards, penetrating him with little preparation. But his eyes were still on Lelouch. _This doesn't matter. He's trying to get to you. Don't react._

It was Lelouch who would not accept it. He would not accept Suzaku suffering this violation just because Schneizel wanted to screw with his head. He would not accept Suzaku forgiving him for being responsible for this mess.

“If you want me to say it, I will--you’ve won! All right? You’ve won already!” Lelouch tried to stand up despite the binding straps that held his ankles together. A moment later, he lost his balance and crashed to the floor.

“Lelouch!”

Ignoring Suzaku’s cry of alarm and the pain in his shoulder, Lelouch crawled forwards. “Older Brother . . . You’ve won. Please stop . . .”

He reached Schneizel's legs and fought to get upright. "Older Brother, you've already won . . . you don't have to do this. I'll admit that I’ve lost . . ." Lelouch did not care what he looked like, begging Schneizel on his knees. Just as long as he would stop.

Schneizel just looked at him as though he was some annoying puppy that had done something embarrassing on the carpet.

He did not notice when his pleas became ragged sobs, or when Suzaku called his name, telling him that it was useless to beg Schneizel for anything. All that mattered now was getting Schneizel to ignore Suzaku.

When Schneizel stepped back and released Suzaku, Lelouch almost collapsed in relief.

"If you want me to stop now, are you willing to take his place?" With a casual shove, Schneizel pushed Suzaku off the table and approached Lelouch.

Too tired to speak, Lelouch managed to nod. If this was the price, then he would pay it.

There was no fight left in him as Schneizel hauled him up. In the background, Suzaku was cursing, but this was acceptable to Lelouch. 

He could accept this, Lelouch thought as Schneizel laid him on his back on the table. It was not that high a price. Schneizel just wanted to see him humiliated. He kept telling himself that even when his half brother freed his legs and pushed his knees apart.

Focusing on the pain radiating from that horrible implant, he tried to ignore the sensation of Schneizel’s gloved hands on his thighs. Schneizel was taking more care with Lelouch than he had with Suzaku. Lelouch would have preferred to be over as quickly as possible, but Schneizel obviously had other plans. 

“Lelouch!” Suzaku had stopped swearing at Schneizel from where he lay on the floor. He was just watching them now, still furious and red in the face from struggling against the restraining suit.

Lelouch was sorry that Suzaku had to watch this, but Schneizel probably would have insisted. He grimaced as Schneizel pushed into him and tried not to let it show for Suzaku’s sake. 

It . . . hurt. But he refused to cry out as Schneizel thrust into him, pressing his legs back into a painful position to allow him more access. Lelouche did not look at his half brother, knowing full well that Schneizel’s expression would not have deviated from that smugly calm façade that he always wore.

He had not expected to be able to look at Suzaku, who held his gaze steadily throughout the whole ordeal. Without words, without touching him, without looking away in pity or disgust. It was almost bearable like that.

Schneizel must have noticed, for he paused in mid-thrust. 

If Lelouch had been looking at Schneizel’s face, he might have seen a brief shadow of some other emotion flicker past before it was erased as quickly as it had came.

“I have been terribly selfish,” Schneizel said, moving his hand across Lelouch’s hip to brush against his cock. “Pleasure is meant to be shared after all . . .”

“No!” Lelouch squirmed as Schneizel stroked him. He did not want to enjoy this . . . this perversion of what he had shared with C.C. and Suzaku. “Stop that--”

“It’s not your place to demand anything,” Schneizel reminded him and Lelouch went limp. The defeated had no rights. He allowed the invasive touch even though his skin wanted to crawl right off his flesh and bones.

* * * * * * * * * * * *


	2. Fragile

* * * * * * * * * * * *

_This doesn't matter! He's just playing with you! Don't let him get to you!_

Lelouch did not think very well when it came to his own. Suzaku knew this--had always known this--and he would allow himself to admit it now, in the end.  
And Schneizel had known just which buttons to push.

_He's trying to get to you . . . Lelouch--_

Suzaku’s cries had fallen on deaf ears. Lelouch probably knew what Schneizel was doing. But Lelouch could not keep his mask on for this. 

Lelouch had begged. Had grovelled and abased himself while Schneizel just _watched_ without showing a flicker of emotion.

When they were children, Suzaku had wondered why Lelouch had been reluctant to discuss his siblings and family.

It occurred to him that it had been a miracle that Euphemia had turned out the way she did. Suzaku did know whether to be glad that her half-brother failed to be the villain he set himself up to be or watch in horror as the end loomed up before him with no reprieve in sight.

 _You’ve got it all wrong . . . I’m your knight! I’m supposed to protect you!_

If Schneizel was not there, Suzaku would have said it to his foolish, soft-hearted Emperor’s face. After all, he had already been broken since the day he had kept his father’s watch as a reminder. But all he could do--bound as he was, helpless as he was--was to bear witness. 

It was far more difficult than anything else he had ever done in the service of his chosen liege. But it was all he could do as his oldest friend suffered Schneizel’s warped version of affection.

Lelouch stifled a moan as Schneizel continued to stroke him to full arousal. With his eyes squeezed shut, he could no longer see Suzaku.

_This changes nothing. You are no less than what you were before. Schneizel cannot take it from you._

But Lelouch’s eyes were closed in denial as Schneizel bent over him. Something inside Suzaku twisted sharply as the prince claimed Lelouch’s mouth in a one-sided kiss.

The sound of Lelouch’s labored breathing became a rasping counterpoint to Schneizel’s movements during what was probably the longest ten minutes of Suzaku’s life.

The end did not come soon enough for Suzaku’s liking. Schneizel finished, coming while buried deep in his younger brother. Suzaku ignored Schneizel, who was fastidiously composing himself, and focused on Lelouch, who was lying partially curled up on his side on the table. His eyes were open, but Suzaku registered nothing in them and he was afraid that Schneizel might have broken him.

No, Schneizel did not intend to break Lelouch completely. In Schneizel’s book, it probably did not count if the losers were not aware that they had lost. Sickened that he could understand that much of Schneizel’s motivations, he glared at the prince, who was idly stroking Lelouch’s hair as though nothing had happened.

“Haven’t you done enough? He’s already traumatised,” Suzaku said, anger and worry overriding his resolve not to react to Schneizel’s games. Under Schneizel’s gloved hand, Lelouch was still and unresponsive.

“Oh? And I thought I had been remiss,” Schneizel said, turning Lelouch on his back to expose his half erect cock. “He seems to need a little more attention.”

“Not yours!”

“Then perhaps I should ask around the barracks for volunteers to service my brother . . . you know how soldiers are in war time.” Schneizel turned to Suzaku with a considering look on his face. “Or perhaps you should serve your Emperor one last time . . .”

Lelouch was as lifeless as a puppet with its strings cut as Schneizel deposited him in front of Suzaku.

“Well?” Schneizel asked, meeting Suzaku’s angry glare with his dispassionately calm gaze.

Suzaku chose not to waste his breath on Schneizel. Lelouch was within reach now, restraining suit and broken arm notwithstanding.

His arm throbbed dully as he inched closer to Lelouch. The rise and fall of his chest was the only indication that he was still functioning. Suzaku pressed his lips against the side of Lelouch’s neck, feeling the erratic but still strong pulse under his skin

_He can’t break you. This won’t break you. You are stronger than this._

Suzaku did not know if he was trying to convince himself or will Lelouch into showing some sign that he was not lost. He was not C.C.--able to enter minds at will. There was only the tenuous bond that they had, forged in broken friendships, blood, lies and a pact to continue on this road until the bitter end. 

He mapped the slender column of Lelouch’s throat with his lips until he reached the hard disc-like protrusion at the nape of his neck. Unnatural thing--the skin around it was slightly inflamed and showed signs of the hasty surgery that had preceded it.

“Lelouch,” he whispered directly into his Emperor’s ear. As though he could call him back by reminding him that there were promises to be kept. “Lelouch . . .”

Ignoring Schneizel completely, Suzaku laid a kiss on Lelouch’s forehead, then on his left eye. The dull red glow of the _Geass_ flickered before he could do the same for the right side.

“Su--zaku . . .” Lelouch blinked once, twice, and looked up at him--still himself and whole despite the trauma of the past hour.

“Yes,” he replied, hiding his relief by pressing his lips to Lelouch’s mouth.

Surprised, Lelouch froze for a moment, then his lips parted in response.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

In the blank void, there was a disconcerting sense of not being connected to anything. An eternal free fall into nothingness.

 _You’re spending far too much time in here,_ a disembodied voice said. _If you keep this up, you might never find your way back._

For some reason, the voice sounded like C.C.--female, remote and slightly sarcastic. 

_Someone’s calling you. Can you hear that?_

Could he hear without ears? Apparently so. That sound was a name--

Lelouch came back to himself. To being flat on his back with Suzaku’s face hovering above him.

And then Suzaku had kissed him.

He had responded to the raw emotion in that kiss. Suzaku had been worried. Lelouch tried to reassure him as the kiss deepened. He had only blanked out for a while, trying to escape from what had happened . . .

_Schneizel._

If there was any chance, any opening at all, there would be a reckoning, Lelouch swore. But now, Schneizel might as well not be there.

He could not suppress a moan as Suzaku moved to kiss and suckle the underside of his jaw. This was real and the touch of Suzaku’s lips on his skin grounded him, bound him back into his body and sealed him in. His forgotten erection stirred and he jerked fitfully at the restraining jacket that bound his arms tight.

Suzaku worked his way down his body methodically and Lelouch envied him briefly for being a lot more limber. It was beyond him how his knight could manage with a broken arm. Then he felt Suzaku’s tongue lapping at his cock and all practical matters took a backseat in Lelouch’s mind.

Arching his back, he pushed his hips up, demanding more attention. Suzaku obliged, massaging his cock with his tongue as he took him in. Engulfed in the warmth of Suzaku’s mouth, Lelouch gave voice to his desire. His groans seemed to encourage Suzaku, who swallowed him deeper. Lelouch could feel Suzaku’s throat tightening around his member. It was too much--

“Suzaku--” he managed to gasp out in warming before he came. Suzaku did not duck aside. He continued to swallow Lelouch down, milking the last dregs of his orgasm.

Breathing hard, Lelouch stared at the ceiling for a long moment. He felt the feather-light sensation of a kiss on the inside of thigh as Suzaku straightened up and wished that he could move to touch his knight. Schneizel had raped him first, but Suzaku had not broken--had not allowed himself to break. _In the end, you still had to save me. I’m sorry, so sorry . . ._

“That was a very commendable show of loyalty.” Schneizel’s voice was a jarring reminder that they were not alone. “You chose your subordinates well.”

Lelouch did not to correct that assumption. He had not chosen Suzaku. Suzaku had chosen to follow him after he had explained what he was going to do.

“You’ve had your sick little show,” Lelouch said. “What next, _Older Brother_?”

“I thought you might be allowed to live long enough to see the Black Knight’s final stand on the battlefield, finishing off the remains of the Britannian army,” Schneizel said. “You were their founder after all.”

That betrayal still stung, but he had come to terms with that. But Schneizel had not exhausted his bag of tricks yet.

“In two days time, all the wars of the world will end. As a proud brother, you should have a front-row seat to see Nunnally crowned as Empress of the new world.” Schneizel brushed an imaginary speck of dust from his trousers as he stood up. “And then you can die knowing that there will be peace throughout her reign.”

Beyond speech, beyond simple rage, Lelouch could only watch as Schneizel turned towards the door. 

"A quick, private execution would be best in order to spare Nunnally the bothersome task of signing her dear brother’s death warrant," Schneizel said, as calm as ever. "While that _Geass_ of yours is no doubt . . . interesting, you might not appreciate spending the rest of your life in a laboratory. Consider it my thanks, Lelouch, for Kaminejima."

Opening the door, Schneizel signalled to the guards outside.

* * * * * * * * * * * *


	3. The Weight of the World

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Suzaku listened to Schneizel’s announcement with growing horror. Even Lelouch had not been so dispassionate in the midst of their preparations for war. This was the potential slaughter of millions, possible billions of people. They had anticipated Schneizel’s use of the F.L.E.I.J.A. warheads . . . but the reality far outstripped even Lelouch’s predictions.

The announcement of their impending executions was just background noise. Suzaku ground his teeth as the guards collected them from the interrogation room to bring them to the holding cells. If they were separated, he could not keep on eye on Lelouch.

He looked over at Lelouch, who was dangling in the grasp of his captors like a sack of laundry. His constitution had never been very strong and Suzaku feared that whatever Schneizel had done to him had just made things worse.

Strange as the _Damocles_ looked from the outside, it still had an area for detaining prisoners comprising of a series of small cells. Confirming Suzaku’s worse fears, the guards dumped Lelouch into one cell.

Twisting about, Suzaku resisted the guards attempts to drag him away. “He’s not well--let me stay with him! It’s not like we can get out of the res--”

“Damned Eleven!” The guard who had punched him swore. “Throw him into a cell and we can get out of here.”

“Suzaku . . . It’s all right.” Lelouch’s voice sounded low, but stable. The guards had automatically turned to look at the other prisoner. And only then did Suzaku realise that the guards in the detention area were not in full armour with helmets.

He had only a moment’s warning before Lelouch lifted his head and the _Geass_ flared to life.

"I command you . . . Follow Kururugi Suzaku's orders!"

Suzaku's surprise at Lelouch's words was only superseded by the fact that he collapsed back right after that, blood flowing freely from his nose and mouth.

“Yes, My Lord!” The guards saluted, eyes going red, then blank as the _Geass_ overrode their free will.

This was something Suzaku would never come to terms with--how Lelouch could use that awful power while knowing full well what it did to the victims. Shoving aside his reservations for the time being, Suzaku got the guards to free them from the restraining suits. Fortunately for him, it had not been his right arm that had been injured. His left arm, the one broken during the downing of the Lancelot, was fairly useless now. Ignoring the pain, he examined Lelouch for the possible cause of his collapse.

Lelouch was still breathing, but unconscious. That strange implant at the nape of his neck . . . Suzaku had a bad feeling about it, but he realised that Lelouch probably knew what would happen and had given the reins over to Suzaku.

 _You're supposed to be the brains of this operation . . ._ he thought even as the guards watched him blankly for further directions.

_If I was Lelouch, I would be trying to blow this place up before it reaches the elevation required for firing the warheads._

But he was still Suzaku and he ordered the guards to take them to the place where Lelouch had received that implant. A soldier to the end, Suzaku was still more comfortable with a weapon in his hand and while the _Damocles_ had a novel design for a warship, it was still a _Britannian_ warship. That meant that every level had its own security stations and by taking over the station on this level, they could escape detection for just a little longer.

Level Seventeen contained the research area and one particular unnamed laboratory that did not have anything else in its descriptor except “Special research”. Leaving one of the guards at the security station they had taken over, Suzaku entered “Special research” with two other men, surprising the three scientists working in it.

“Special research” was a confusing cross between a hospital operating room and a cybernetics laboratory. The scientists appeared to be eccentric mavericks who would try anything once if it sounded interesting--Suzaku recognised the type from personal experience. Schneizel liked collecting them.

While the scientists were herded together, Suzaku laid Lelouch on a platform that looked like an operating table--the only bare surface available. Then came the most distasteful part of his plan. At gunpoint, the head scientist admitted to being the one who designed and inserted the implant with his two assistants--none of whom were really medical-level surgeons.

“The implant,” Suzaku said, gesturing to Lelouch’s neck. “Can it be safely removed?”

“It wasn’t meant to be removed--a lot of the components were surgically grafted in,” the scientist said. Realising from the look on Suzaku’s face that this was the Wrong Answer, he frantically back-pedalled. “B-but it can be dismantled first and extracted later! Please don’t kill me--I was only following orders!”

“Follow this one--dismantle the implant, render it non-functional without doing any more damage as quickly as possible.” Suzaku did not like making threats, much less to non-combatants, but there was no time left. “Do it now. Local anesthetics only. Try anything funny with the scalpels and you won’t have the use of your hands anymore.”

The scientists looked over at his terrified assistants and nodded hurriedly. They moved nervously to the operating platform and under Suzaku’s wary eye and the guns of the enthralled guards, started to pick up their tools. 

Keeping his gun trained on the head scientist, Suzaku accessed the nearest terminal, wincing from the pain that shot through his broken arm as he used his left hand to type. Pulling up the schematic plan for the _Damocles_ , he started to search. _Level Seventeen . . . Lift Access to all Levels . . . Level Three . . . High-security Storage . . ._

Then there was also Level Fifty, “Residential” with “Private Garden”. But that had not been part of the plan . . .

Under the glare of the lights mounted above the operating platform, the head scientist sweated profusely as he took apart the functional components of the implant and cut open the same area under the medulla for the second time in twenty-four hours. When they were done with the implant, the gory wound was sealed and sewn up. 

Suzaku had the guards lock the scientists in a cleaning supplies closet at the back of the laboratory while he found an injector and used the rest of the local anesthetic. His left arm was going to be a distraction at this rate unless he fixed it.

While Suzaku let the anesthetic take effect, Lelouch struggled back to consciousness, obviously too stubborn to rest. He was not going to be pleased that Suzaku had taken the time to deal with the implant and was probably going to say something like _Suzaku, you idiot, What are you doing?_

Looking around in bewilderment and reaching up to touch the bandages at his neck, Lelouch finally focused on Suzaku. “Suzaku . . .? Suzaku, you idiot. What are you wasting time here for?” Close enough.

“Waiting for you to get up.” Suzaku holstered his gun and gestured to the guards. “Pick him up. Follow me.”

“You’ve found out where they’re stored?” Lelouch asked as he was half-carried out of the laboratory.

“Level Three. High-security storage area. It’s the only place large enough to store the number of warheads you predicted and it has a direct access hatch to the Launch Mechanism on Level One.” Suzaku headed for the lift. Surely their escape would have been discovered by now?

During the ride down to Level Three, Lelouch did not say anything, even if his eyes had flickered once to the buttons for the upper levels of the fortress. The mask was firmly in place. Suzaku was . . . not disappointed. Just grimly determined as they headed for--

_Why are you still bleeding?_

Lelouch saw Suzaku staring at him and clapped a hand over his nose. “It’s just a nose-bleed. The blood vessels in my sinuses are probably ruptured.” 

Suzaku let him have that lie as they exited the lift. They left half the remaining guards at the lift to disable it and continued on to the “High-security storage area”.

Turning the corner, Suzaku caught sight of the sentries posted outside the hanger doors. Of course the warheads would warrant their own armed guards . . .

“Lelouch--don’t--”

But Lelouch had activated his _Geass_ , his eyes glowing like demonic coals in the dimness of the corridor. 

“Unauthorised personnel--”

“I command you . . . Guard this passage . . . Let no-one else but us pass,” Lelouch ordered, grimacing with the effort. He was obviously in pain.

The guards lowered their rifles and saluted woodenly.

“I needed to buy more time,” Lelouch said to Suzaku even as a fresh rivulet of blood started to flow. “The storage hanger . . .”

Suzaku support his weight as Lelouch staggered. _But what good was time when you’re unconscious?_ he thought as he half-dragged Lelouch down the passageway to their intended target. Taking the pass cards from one guard, he tried them on the security lock until he found the one that worked. 

The storage hanger behind the last door turned out to be a cavernous holding area around the side of a soccer field and about three storeys in height.

All along the walls, secure in their cradles, the F.L.E.I.J.A. warheads gleamed with deadly potential. Lelouch’s initial estimate of the number of functional warheads had been correct. In Suzaku’s mind, even one F.L.E.I.J.A. would have one too many.

From the last two guards, Suzaku found out that only three key engineers had the passwords to release the warheads from their berths. And only two people had the access codes to arm F.L.E.I.J.A.--unsurprisingly, one of them was Schneizel. 

Without the passwords and the code to arm them, he could not even utilise one of them to destroy the _Damocles_.

Suzaku was about to order the guards to hunt down the first technical staff they could find with a password when the far wall caved in. He tensed immediately, then recognised the horrible but distinctive pink armour of the Knightmare Frame forcing its way into the hanger from the ruined hull plating. A moment later, the alarms started to ring. Almost absentmindedly, Suzaku shot out the alarm amplifier in the corner. There was no need for secrecy now, just haste.

Ordering the last two guards out of the hanger, Suzaku propped Lelouch against the nearest wall as the cockpit of the Lancelot Requiem opened and C.C. swung down on the pilot’s line. 

“How did you find this place so fast?” The colour of the Knightmare Frame not withstanding, C.C. had delivered the final piece. Lelouch’s plan could still be salvaged, if the device it carried worked. 

“I always know where he is,” C.C. said, nodding at Lelouch. “And you two would have headed here anyway.” 

"C.C.--he's lost too much blood . . . And parts of that implant Schneizel cooked up is still in him." Suzaku said, not bothering to mask the gory details. There was no time left. The guards Lelouch had _Geassed_ would not be able to hold off the soldiers who would be on their way down to this level about now.

"I know. I felt it when he used the _Geass_ \--there was damage to the neural network," C.C. said, reaching out to turn Lelouch’s head, utterly unfazed by the blood. “He doesn’t know, does he?”

“I didn’t tell him. But I think he knew . . . he knew what he was doing.” And he did it anyway. _The idiot._ “He wants the plan to continue.”

"It’s done . . .” C.C. looked over at the Lancelot Requiem and the ovoid missile attached to its back. “I started the detonation sequence of the _Archilles_ when I made it through the outer wall. We have ten minutes at the very most.”

The need to flee intensified again and Suzaku suppressed it, fighting against the compunction to live. So it had been done. The results of that hasty, patchwork plan would be known in the next few minutes.

Lloyd and his team had worked for three days straight to come up with that device. It had been a phenomenal task given the scant amount of sakuradite that they had to work with in that timeframe. 

Lelouch had mockingly dubbed it the _Achilles_ and as no-one had time to hold a debate about Greek mythology, the name had stuck. It had been planned as a small but powerful weapon meant to cripple the _Damocles_ and take out all the warheads within. If Nina’s calculations were correct, as long as the F.L.E.I.J.A. warheads remained unarmed and non-critical, the resulting blast should be contained within an eight to ten-kilometre radius. Give or take the explosive potential of _Damocles_ itself.

The one problem with that plan had been to get the _Archilles_ inside the fortress. There would have been no guarantee that all the F.L.E.I.J.A. warheads would be taken out unless the _Archilles_ was detonated within twenty metres of where they were stored. To that end, the Lancelot Requiem had been outfitted with a drill and laser-cutter. If all else failed, the plan had been to physically hack into the base of the fortress and set the _Archilles_ off from inside. Not elegant. Probably a suicide mission for the pilot who would carry it out. But it had worked.

The _Damocles_ was currently travelling over the Pacific Ocean, hundreds of kilometers away from any human settlements. C.C. had found the F.L.E.I.J.A. warheads. Fate had finally smiled on Lelouch’s plan.

But for the one outstanding issue that hung in the air between them.

“Suzaku, take the Lancelot Requiem and leave the _Archilles_ here,” C.C. said, moving to shoulder Lelouch’s weight.

“But what about--”

“You know what he really wants,” C.C. said gently, passing him the ignition key for the Knightmare Frame after she settled Lelouch’s limp body on the floor.

Yes, he knew what Lelouch's true wish was. But fulfilling it would mean abandoning their pact. Suzaku could see that C.C. knew this as well as she cradled Lelouch’s head on her lap. The Lancelot Requiem could not take all of three them on what was probably an insane rescue mission.

"You should hurry." In C.C.’s lap, Lelouch was stirring.

With the _Geass_ tugging at him, Suzaku did not look back at the two figures behind him as he started up the Lancelot Requiem and released its precious cargo.

_You were lying when you said it did not matter if Nunnally was on Schneizel's side. You were lying to the very end. Same old Lelouch . . ._

The controls under his hands were like familiar old companions as he piloted the Lancelot out of the gaping hole C.C. had made in the hanger wall. The central support axis of _Damocles_ should be right outside if he had read the schematics correctly . . . Even better, the support axis turned out to be a hollow shaft right through the centre of the fortress. 

Accelerating, Suzaku sped upwards to do what knights were supposed to do—rescue princesses from towers.

He would fulfill his mission. His last duty to his Emperor and friend.

_I am his sword . . ._

* * * * * * * * * * * *

_. . . and I am his shield._

C.C. watched the Knightmare Frame depart, then looked over the squat shape of the _Archilles_ sitting in the middle of the floor. There was probably less than five minutes left. She knew that Lelouch would not have spoken his heart’s desire to Suzaku because of the pact they had made.

But Lelouch had not counted on his knight knowing him all too well. And loving him enough to do what Lelouch had denied himself. Even at the cost of what he had been promised.

“You were always a bad liar,” C.C. said to Lelouch who had managed to open his eyes.

“C.C. . . .” he muttered. “The _Archilles_?”

“The _Archilles_ is in place. Suzaku’s gone to get Nunnally. So you can relax, your plan is working.” C.C. could give praise when it was warranted. _Sly bastard. You knew I would be able find you in this floating death trap._

“I forgot to tell him to get the _Geass_ cancelled by Jeremiah.” Lelouch tried to sit up, failed miserably and had to be supported by C.C.

“Stop moving, you’re injured.” Gentle as a mother tending to a child, C.C. held Lelouch on her lap. “Besides, Suzaku’s a big boy--he’ll figure it out for himself.”

 _If he gets out of here and out of the predicted blast radius in time with Nunnally . . ._ C.C had more faith in Suzaku’s piloting capabilities than she let on. If Suzaku could not do it, it was probably a lost cause from the beginning.

“True . . . ” Lelouch grasped C.C.’s hand weakly. “Then . . . there’s still the promise I made to you.”

“Lelouch, I won’t hold you to that,” C.C. said.

Blinking up at her, Lelouch was almost cute when he was obviously confused. “But I’m the only one who can take your Code--”

“Yes . . . But you know something about immortality?” C.C. asked, acutely aware of the ebb and flow of his life lapping at her consciousness.

“What?” Lelouch was losing consciousness again. The effort he had expanded to use his _Geass_ was taking its toll.

“It’s not for everyone.” C.C. laid a hand on Lelouch’s forehead even as his eyelids slipped closed. “Especially not for those who love others more than they care for themselves.

“You would be too soft-hearted to pass the Code on to anyone.”

Despite everything, C.C found herself smiling.

_I don’t think the world could take an eternity of you, Lelouch._

* * * * * * * * * * * *

When the _Damocles_ exploded over the Pacific Ocean at four thirty-six GMT, inhabitants as far as the People's Republic of French Polynesia could see the brilliant flare lighting up the horizon.

In the aftermath, there was very little left of the floating fortress to be retrieved. There were probably no survivors, the search and rescue teams concurred. 

Probably.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot to porn ratio got a little skewed. Whoops.
> 
> Spoilerrific End Notes (Or How I Summoned Up Enough Energy To Write Schneizel, Who Is Kind Of Blah As Characters Go):
> 
> \- Schneizel was OOC in this fic. He has probably memorised the Evil Overlord List (http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/overlord.html) and knows that it is foolish to ignore # 3, 4 and 6 on the List--namely: Don’t keep your half-brother alive, shooting is not too good for your enemies and don’t gloat over your enemies before killing them. He’s OOC because he’s the catalyst for porn.
> 
> \- Schneizel was not OOC in R2 Episode 23. It took a recap (yes, ouch) of the series to put together the pieces. And in doing so, I realised that, wow, this guy was always the Big Bad--scratch that--the Blah Bad. Schneizel had everything in place and got the ball rolling in Episode 17. And he’s been having it his way ever since. But he’s so blah, no-one notices.
> 
> \- So Schneizel is going to bring forth the Bad End by using Nunnally. His special ability is making people believe that he’s a blah character. It’s like Teflon for villains. _Oh, you’ve always beaten Lelouch, eh? Good to have you on our side! And you with all these big nukes too! Funny how you never told us just how many of these nukes you have, but we’ll worry about that after we’ve expanded all out troops defeating Lelouch!_ Er, hello? (I stopped wondering why the Black Knights fell apart without Zero.)
> 
> \- Conclusion: Schneizel is a bit of a boring arsehole. A Teflon-coated one.


End file.
